Goya in Bordeaux is a 1999 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. It deals with the last years of Francisco Goya’s life in Bordeaux. Goya is deaf and ill and he is in voluntary exile in Bordeaux, protesting against the oppressive rules of Ferdinand VII. He lives with his young wife Leocadia and their daughter Rosario. Goya suffers from strange visions and nightmares. He continues to paint at night. While his young daughter cares for him, Goya reflects on his tumultuous career. He relives key times in his life, particularly his passionate love affair with the Duchess of Alba, his discovery of how he wanted to paint, provided by Velázquez’s work, and his lifelong celebration of art and imagination.
It is a fascinating and evocative study of one of the best artist ever and it gives a wonderful portrait of Goya in his last days. The film also provides some interesting information about the historical and political setting.
Muñeira is a typical Galician dance. Muñeira refers to the word molino (muiño in the Galician language) that means mill. Muñeira was originally danced inside and outside the mills, to pass the time during the grinding.
Its origin is not clear, but it was danced during the XV century. Someone said that Muñeira dates back to the Celts, although there is no evidence. Muñeira has not changes during the centuries and it became one the most traditional expressions of Galician folklore. Muñeira is usually danced and sung with the accompaniment of bagpipes and drums. You can dance Muñeira in pair but it can also be a circle dance opened to a variable number of dancers.
There are different kinds of Muñeira and they owe their names to the places where they are danced. Muñeira de Chantada probably is the most famous one.
In Galicia you can see lots of groups performing this traditional dance during local celebrations or festivities.
This a typical dish of Extremadura. It is very easy to cook but it is really delicious.
Ingredients
1/2 kg rice
1/2 kg potatoes
1/2 kg cod
2 tomatoes
1 onion
garlic
salt
oil
Chop onion, garlic and tomatoes and fry them in oil. Peel and cut the potatoes. Add rice and potatoes to the lightly fried onion, garlic and tomatoes. Add three cups of water and let it boil for some minutes. Add cod and let it boil for about 10/15 minutes.
Tesis is a 1996 Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Angela (Ana Torrent) is a film student at the University of Madrid. She is doing a research for her thesis about audio-visual violence. Her professor (Miguel Picazo) helps her to find some material. She finds him dead while he is watching a videotape. Angela discovers that it is a snuff film where a missing girl of the university is killed. Angela thinks that there is a an illegal traffic of violent films where you can see real murders. She wants to investigate and a chilling adventure begins. Tesis is the first great work of Alejandro Amenábar, one of the best Spanish director. It is an exciting and fascinating film, full of suspense and it won seven Goya prize in 1997.
Ávila is a lovely city in the community of Castilla y León. It is known for its great medieval defensive wall. It surrounds the old city and it is its most emblematic and spectacular monument. It is 2.500 metres long, it has 87 towers and 9 gates.
It was built in 1090. Casandro and Florín de Piruenga were in charge of the project. Throughout the centuries, it had a defensive function, but it also had a social function. Inside the city walls there was the civilization, while poor people and peasants lived outside.
Its nine gateways are also called arches and the greatest one is the Puerta del Alcazar. It has two spectacular towers joined by a bridge. This is a unique example in whole Europe.
Some buildings and churches, such as the cathedral, are integrated in the city walls. The cathedral was built between 1160 and 1180, when the city walls were still a work in progress.
The city walls of Ávila are the best example of fortification in Europe and it is the second defensive wall in the world after the Great Wall of China.
You can visit the city walls of Ávila, following a path of 1.400 metres. You can climb the wall from three gateways, Casa de las Carnicerías, Puerta del Alcázar and Arco del Carmen.
Ávila was declared World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1985.
The wine region Montsant DO is located in the south of the province of Tarragona. Wines have been produced in this area since the Roman age and they were praised by Pliny the Elder and Silius Italicus. Montsant wine region consists of 34vineyards, covering an area of 2.000 hectares.The soil is caharacterized by red sand, granite and slate rocks and the climate is dry with a low rain level. For all these reasons the most interesting wines are dry and red with a high alcohol content. The production includes both red and white wines. Here are the main varieties.
This a typical dessert of Canary Islands. It is very easy to cook but it is delicious.
Ingredients
½ Kg bananas
120 g flour
3 spoonfuls of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of milk
anis
cinnamon
1 lemon
oil
honey
Peel the bananas and cut them. Place them in a saucepan, add lemon juice and grated lemon rind. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, milk anis and the yolks. Mix with bananas to get a soft dough. Prepare little cakes and fry them in the hot oil until golden.
Sprinkle the banana cakes with sugar and cinnamon. You can serve them hot or cold and for tastier banana cakes drizzle some honey.
Secrets of the Heart (original title Secretos del corazón) is a 1997 Spanish film written and directed by Montxo Armendáriz. The story is set in small village of Spain during the Sixties. Javi (Andoni Erburu)is a nine years old boy and his brother tells him that sometimes you can hear the voice of the departed souls trying to reveal their most hidden secrets.
During the summer, Javi and his brother go to a mountain village. Javi wants to discover the secrets concealed in one of the room of the house where his father died.
Javi is sure that here he will hear his father’s voice. Keeping on investigating Javi will solve the mystery and he will make an incredible discovery. Secrets of the Heart is a dramatic and fascinating story. He won four Goya Awards and in 1997 it received a nomination for the Oscar Award as the Best Foreign Language Film.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is located in the homonymous city in Galicia, Spain. It is an important religious destination and every year thousands of pelerines arrive in the city to visit the grave of St. James. Since Middle Age they have crossed Europe following the ancient Way of St. James, also known as Camino de Santiago.
In the 9th century, a small Roman temple was identified as the grave of the Apostle St. James. King Alfonso II ordered that a church was build in this place. A new larger church was built in 1075, because of the increasing number of pelerines. It was consecrated in 1211. The cathedral is made of granite and it is a Romanesque church, even if it was extended during the XVI and XVII century. It has a Latin cross ground plan and three naves. You can admire a barrel-vaulted nave and groin-vaulted aisles. The church has nine towers, two in each façade and three in the transept.
The Obradorio Façade or Western Façade in Baroque style was realized by Fernando Casas and Novoa in order to shelter the ancient Portico de la Gloria, a Romanesque work situated behind the façade. It is an important expression of the Romanesque art and it was realized in 1118 by master Mateo. The Acibechería Facade or Northern Façade is in Neo-Classical style and it was realized by Ventura Rodríguez and Lois Monteagudo. The Praterías Façade or Southern Façade is in Romanesque style and on the right side is the Clock Tower also known as Berenguela Tower. The Quintana Façade or Eastern Façade hosts the baroque Holy Door, a combination of stone and glass.
According to the tradition pelerines entering the northern door and going out to the southern door were purified. The Cathedral of Santiago was declared Historic-Artistic Monument in 1986.
Pulpo a Feira (Galician Octopus) is a traditional receipt from Galicia, even if it is very popular throughout Spain. It is usually served in wooden plates with boiled potatoes or chips. It is delicious and very easy to cook.
Ingredients
2 kg octopus
water
1 onion
2 potatoes
olive oil
pepper
salt
1 bay leaf
In a large stockpot bring to a boil water and add one pealed onion. Dip the octopus in the boiling water, lift out immediately and, when the water returns to a boil, dip it briefly again. Repeat this procedure 3 or 4 times in order to tenderize the octopus. Let it boil for about 1 hour.
Peal, wash and cut the potatoes. Boil the potatoes with bay leaf, cut the potatoes in small circular pieces. Lift the octopus from the water and cut it into pieces with the scissors. Put the octopus in a wooden plate, drizzle it with olive oil and then sprinkle it with salt and pepper.